March 2016

With over 4 million users, Read&Write for Google Chrome™ continues to be the top literacy support tool for Google Apps for Education users across the world. But did you know it’s completely free for teachers?

It’s fast approaching exam season again here in the UK and with the ability to now use a computer reader to help struggling readers in exams, we thought we’d ask our Trainer, Richard, to give you his top 5 tips for preparing to use software to read exams for your pupils.

Too often in the EdTech world we spend the majority of our time finding the right technology, getting funding approved, installing, etc., but much less time promoting technology to ensure that it is actually being used by students and staff. This “getting the word out” is especially difficult in the university setting, where students are more independent and scattered about on and off campus. In addition, much of the technology available for students is not a requirement but an optional support for those who know where and how to access it.

To help, we’ve collected some tips from universities across the country who have had success getting students to use newly adopted software. Not only can this help to justify the cost of technology purchases, but also to increase the retention and achievement of the students who use those purchases. While these tips come from those in higher education, many can also benefit others, including K-12 schools and corporations who are looking to get the word out about technology.

Classrooms can seem like bewildering places for students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other learning difficulties. It’s a similar story for young people trying to master subjects that aren’t being taught in their first language.

Today, it’s good to know that there’s plenty of support out there. In the space of a generation we’ve made huge strides forward in making accommodations mainstream for students of all abilities and backgrounds, and at every grade level.

Much of this progress has been enabled by assistive technology (AT) that’s now a standard fixture in virtually every modern schoolroom. But there’s one area of study where technology has struggled to make online content accessible: math.

Ever wish you could speak your thoughts into a document instead of writing or typing them? Doing so may be easier than you think. Speech-to-text technology has been around for decades in one form or another. It was made popular by technology companies such as IBM, the Department of Defense, and medical offices.

In this post we’ll take a look at how speech to text technology is used in classrooms, and how you can access it for free in Google Docs.